Mr. Speaker, the bottom line is there is no money in the budget. With no money we cannot pay compensation. As long as the minister is there, yes, we might get regulations. However the minister could change at any time and who knows what the new minister would say.

A few years ago when I was a university student I worked for the Canadian Wildlife Service. My job was to go out and sign leases with farmers to not drain, burn or plough slough and marshland areas. We were able to calculate a value. I spent the whole winter taking aerial photographs and outlining the area and then coming up with a compensation figure which the farmer then took. This has been done for a lot of years. There are many examples where dollar figures have been put on things, such as, oil leases, roads and all those things.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out something that is important in the species at risk legislation. It does respond to the needs of rural Canadians. The bill was formed with rural input. There were over 155 consultation sessions. The majority of these involved rural Canadians in many different parts of Canada. They talked, we listened. We adjusted our policy then we talked and listened some more.

I refuse to accept any criticism that Bill C-5 is not rural friendly legislation because it simply is not true. The key to effective species at risk legislation is the support and the co-operation of those Canadians who depend on the land for their livelihood. There is an overwhelming consensus across the country, especially by rural Canadians, that the government should pass the bill because it puts the co-operative principle first. Legislation will not protect species unless Canadians act on it.

We have the appropriate balance. It is built on co-operation not coercion. The bill is based on building trust not looking tough. The bill and the overall strategy itself is an opportunity for rural Canadians.